Political blows fly ahead of Trump’s White House UFC fight

WASHINGTON – Long before the first punch lands at US President Donald Trump’s unprecedented hosting of a UFC fight on the White House lawn, some in the usually ultra-pro-Trump mixed martial arts community are already throwing political blows.

The June 14 event should be the ultimate safe territory for the Republican leader, who will celebrate his 80th birthday that day.

Trump has close ties with the violent, popular sport’s leaders, and many of its leading fighters are open supporters.

But jarring tensions are emerging in the run-up to UFC Freedom 250, the event being held in a specially built arena erected over the White House’s elegant South Lawn.

‘Odd’

Joe Rogan, America’s top podcaster and a key voice in the Ultimate Fighting Championship world, told his huge audience on May 27 that he found the idea of making top athletes fight outdoors in the June heat “odd”.

“I don’t like it,” he said.

UFC chief Dana White, a Trump ally, has cited Washington’s infamous insect population as a potential problem for the open-air fights.

Beyond logistical challenges are deeper questions about spending a reported US$60 million (S$77 million) on a bloody spectacle outside the revered home of the US presidency while Trump is embroiled in war with Iran and polls show Americans are deeply discontented over the economy.

In March, Rogan said he was excited for the event but that it was “weird to have a fight at the White House” given the security tensions in wartime.

This week, he softened his earlier comments, saying: “It’s so funny watching people lose their mind over it.”

He added excitedly: “I mean, there’s no more American thing than having a UFC fight on the White House lawn. It’s so American. It’s so Trump. It’s so crazy. You know what I mean? A UFC fight on the White House lawn is bananas.”

Outspoken fighter banned?

Current UFC middleweight champ Sean Strickland said he was barred from the event for criticising Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the war they launched together against Iran, which he says “no Americans agree with”.

“UFC’s higher-ups called me – you know, big names – and they said, ‘Sean, I gotta apologise, but you’re not Israeli enough to go to UFC 250 Israel Edition; the White House didn’t clear you’,” Strickland said in an Instagram video post on June 3.

Strickland, who has faced strong criticism over repeated racist remarks in the past, supported Trump’s re-election bid in 2024 but has since distanced himself.

UFC and parent company TKO Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

‘Room for corruption’

Another UFC fighter, Bryce Mitchell, backed Strickland this week, saying the government was “desecrating its role in society” by staging the fight at the White House.

“The government should never be hosting sporting events, because there’s more room for corruption, and we already have a corrupted government,” he added.

Like Strickland, Mitchell supported Trump’s 2024 bid, but in an April Instagram post, he said Trump was “an Antichrist” and that Trump “destroys our nation and conducts a war that wasn’t voted for”.

He also called the White House event “an egregious misuse of political favour to basically make people worship Donald Trump”.

Mitchell has previously faced strong criticism for homophobic and anti-Semitic comments, including Holocaust denial.

Twelve fighters are on the card for the event, including American athlete Justin Gaethje, who described participating in the event as an “unbelievable honour” in an Oval Office appearance with Trump on May 6. AFP